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Kuldevs - Maher Kuldevi Tradition

Sati ayi

The kuldevi has a crucial role in the religious lives of Maher men and women: she is the foremost divine guardian of their fortune and honour. Many of the myths that recount the miraculous deeds she performs as guardian not only make wonderful reading they abound in romance, intrigue, danger, and conquest they also give access to the worldview of Maher women.

A goddess begins her career as a kuldevi when she becomes incarnate at a critical point in time in order to rescue an endangered group of Maher whom she judges worthy of her protection. In most cases she reveals herself to their leader and inspires him to surmount whatever problems he and his followers face. Afterward she helps him establish a kingdom, at which point he and his relatives become the founders of a kinship branch (kul or shakh ) with a discrete political identity. Later the kuldevi intermittently manifests her presence by helping the group overcome other military and political crises. These manifestations are celebrated in myths chronicling the origins and early achievements of the Maher groups that kuldevis protect.

Because when a woman marries she loses membership in her father's kul and becomes a member of her husband's kul , she is expected to worship the kuldevi who protects its members. Thus, the very first thing a bride must do when she enters her husband's household is to give respect (dhok ) to her new kuldevi . This is a caste norm; every Maher must loyally propitiate the kuldevi who has accompanied the family's kul into battle.